‘The Stand’ Recap: ‘The Stand’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode Eight of ‘The Stand’.
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Good versus evil. A concept that is as old as mankind and one that we simply crave in our everyday entertainment. Because not only is it thrilling to watch two incredible forces clash with everything hanging the balance, but the fact that good prevails more often than not on the small and silver screen and in real life… gives us hope for the future. For a day when evil no longer walks the Earth and mankind can live in relative peace without its troubles. But there is of course, one important caveat that comes with this grand battle in regard to entertainment. In that, the fight in question has to be epic and fulfilling, otherwise the audience feels as though it has wasted its time and they’ll forget about said battle before they quickly move onto the next story. 
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Which is why it is safe to say that this week’s episode of The Stand had us on edge when we went to start it. Because there was the potential that the grandiose showdown that the series promised us could have been quickly rushed through in the same manner as the series did with the apocalypse itself. But thankfully, those worries were quickly quelled once ‘The Stand’ got underway. When it became apparent that this episode was indeed going to take its time and offer up an incredible final showdown between the Walking Dude and the forces of good from the Boulder Free Zone. And as an added bonus, it turns out that this episode had some of commentary to offer on our modern world as well. For the trial that Flagg and his cronies put our heroes through, felt awfully and uncomfortably familiar when all is said and done.

Simply because in many ways it echoed the recent events in Washington D.C., since so many of Flagg’s followers were riled up and ready for blood shed since Lloyd and the Rat Woman kept the show going and kept the crowd hungry by feeding them Flagg's baloney messaging. But a surprise and bold move on Glen’s part, one that involved pushing Lloyd to his absolute edge, changed the vibe in the courtroom and in Vegas the instant that Lloyd pulled the trigger. Because in that moment, Flagg’s followers came to realize what their respective revolution and New World Order would take to bring to fruition, and they weren’t quite sure if they were prepared for that, and if Glen was right about how they were giving into fear over anything else. Which are elements that definitely echo some of the sentiment that came about after the storming of the U.S. Capitol and it was definitely chilling to see that unexpected parallel come into play. But what matters more, is that the wonder of this tale, didn't end with this poignant segment.

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Because shortly after this ugly incident, things began to fall apart in New Vegas. Because not only did Nadine come to realize she’d been duped and used as a breeding vessel, a decision that motivated her to end her life and the life of Flagg’s demonic seed, but a great many of his minions were questioning exactly why they followed Flagg this far and why they let their fear of him control and dictate their future actions. The kind that were getting uglier and more unsettling by the moment and well, these thoughts came to a head when The Dark Man assembled everyone for the grand execution of Larry Underwood and Ray Brentner, when Lloyd and a handful of others decided to no longer be afraid and walk away from this whole mess right now, and get the fresh start they deserve. 
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But alas, redemption would come for none of them. For at the peak of the chaos at the Inferno Casino, wherein the Trashcan Man returned with his beloved nuclear device; the hand of God came down from above and in a violent manner reminiscent of the Old Testament… wrought justice upon the wicked, before dealing with the true source of Evil. Which means that we were able to watch the end of Randall Flagg in a drawn out and magnificent manner mere moments before Sin City erupted in the golden light of nuclear fire. Effectively ending this battle on the grandiose and satisfying note that we were all waiting for, whilst setting the stage for the finale. For Stu is still out there and about to be discovered by Mister Tom Cullen, and of course, Frannie Goldsmith is about to have her baby.

In the end, it is downright safe to declare this episode to be the show’s finest to date. Because this one had just about everything you could ask for as a fan of King’s work. Since it featured proper closure for both the heroes and the villains, since Larry finally grew into someone bold and strong while Flagg’s minions finally came to understand the folly of their ways before their end arrived, and of course… that final showdown was perfect in every way. Since it featured a simple and humble ball of energy, destroying the excess of The Walking Dude's twisted empire, before taking down the monster itself and you really cannot ask for a better showdown than this one. And now that we have come to the end of this incredible battle between good versus evil, it is time to turn our attention to next week and what comes next for the survivors of the end of the world. Until then.  

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